Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com BUYERS GUIDE 2 0 passed away, Scarpinito says. "Steve wanted to pay a tribute to his mother. Abundant home cooked Sunday family meals were very important to her. Steve honored her by producing products he got from her recipes to keep the Sunday tradition alive." None of the three varieties of Uncle Steve's sauces: Marinara, Tomato with Basil and Arrabiata, contain any added sugar, a common ingredient in other prepared pasta sauces. They also contain no GMOs or gluten, and they're organic. That's at the in- sistence of Schirripa's wife Laura, who's a marathon runner conscious of healthy eat- ing and who told her husband that if he wanted to make and sell tomato sauce, he needed to be sure that it would be good for people as well as enjoyable, says Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties Chief Operating Officer Joseph Scarpinito, Jr.:"If you were to line up all of the popular tomato sauces and then remove the ones with pesticides, tomato paste, puree, and added sweetener, you'd be left with only one: Uncle Steve's." "Uncle Steve's is simmered on our stove for six hours. The only sugar in our sauce comes from organic tomatoes imported from Italy and organic onions. Quality is of the utmost important to us," he added. The sauces were launched just last year on the company's website and quickly picked up by Whole Foods Northeast. Other markets along the East Coast fol- lowed. This year, Scarpinito is concentrating on expanding distribution of the sauces to the Southeast, Southwest and West Coast. "That expansion has already started – the sauce has been picked up by the Albertson's Boise division and by Gelson's in Los An- geles," he said. "The sauce is also available from several distributors servicing large in- dependent retailers." New products are also under develop- ment, including olive oil, pasta and other flavored pasta sauces. Scarpinito is natu- rally a little coy about pinning them down with any more detail than that, but he did offer a hint: we can expect to see an Uncle Steve's vodka sauce early next year. Once the FDA's proposal is finalized, the FDA wants to give the food industry two years to switch to the new labels. In addition to requiring a declaration for added sugars, the FDA is also proposing a new format for the label that would make calories, serving sizes, and percent daily value figures more prominent. Serv- ing sizes would be changed to reflect the amounts reasonably consumed in one eating occasion. "People are generally eating more today than 20 years ago, so some of the current serving sizes, and the amount of calories and nutrients that go with them, are out of date," according to the FDA. GN Uncle Steve's (Cont'd. from p. 15) has changed in the practices they use today and those employed by their forefathers. Their commitment to quality is excep- tional." Les Moulins Mahjoub is using ancient Berber means of preserving food to produce products today. All of the Mahjoub prod- ucts that are "sun dried" are literally dried under the Tunisian sun – the peppers that are ground into harissa and used as an in- gredient in two of the pasta sauces, and the M'Hamsa hand rolled couscous. The Les Moulins Mahjoub Sauces feature regional Tunisian ingredients like harissa, preserved lemons, capers, black olives and artichokes. All of these ingredients are grown on the Mahjoub farm. "We have seen an explosion in sales of harissa and preserved lemons, and the sauces contain these sought-after ingredients," Davenport said. "They offer customers something dif- ferent from basil, mushrooms, cheese, or more ordinary sauce ingredients." The sauces are now packaged in a new larger jar (680g) that is similar in size to other pasta sauces in their category. The M'Hamsa hand-rolled couscous is made using only four all-natural ingredi- ents (semolina, water, salt, and extra vir- gin olive oil) and no added preservatives in a process that takes 12 days. The slow drying in the sun, similar to the Italian slow pasta drying methods celebrated in Gragnano, allows the couscous to be cooked al dente and retain texture. Rogers Collection has seen an increase in the sale of the whole wheat couscous for the health-related properties associated with whole grains. "Customers who purchase the Les Moulins Mahjoub Hand rolled Couscous and sauces are looking for high-quality, full-flavor foods and are conscious con- sumers. Les Moulins Mahjoub employs many residents of the town of Tebourba, Tunisia. They offer their employees one hour of English classes per day. Many of their employees are women, and the company is very proud of their composi- tion," said Davenport, who has visited the farm. "They are truly passionate about their employees, preserving the land, and making the highest quality products possible." GN Les Moulins Mahjoub (Cont'd. from p. 15) further expanded the business throughout all of northern Minnesota. Thomas then took over and moved his business to an historic Hibbing movie theater to develop a thriving deli business. Sunrise Creative Gourmet is now in its fourth generation, and Owners Tom and Mary, along with their son Tom, remain true to the tradition of emphasizing the use of only quality ingredients and proudly crafting and packaging artisan products with skill and care. With the foundation in place, the Forti family has continued to ex- pand the product line from Italian bread and hard rolls to an extensive line of brass- extruded, traditional dry and frozen pasta and a wide variety of eastern European eth- nic specialties, including quiche, stromboli, entrees, sarma, and porketta. Most recently, the Forti family ex- panded their business by opening a ded- icated gluten free production facility in St. Paul, Minnesota, home of a new, shelf- stable gluten-free pasta and factory outlet store. Sunrise Creative Gourmet dry and frozen pastas are sold in HyVee, select Target lo- cations, Lund's and Byerly's, Kowalski's, all Minneapolis and St. Paul co-ops and many fine independent grocers throughout the upper Midwest. A lot has changed since Guilio fired up his first oven, but Sunrise continues to ad- here to the philosophy that has sustained it for nearly 100 years: Quality food made with care and skill, true to its Italian ori- gins. For more information, contact Tom Forti with Sunrise Creative Gourmet at 612.750.8623, email sales@sunrisecreative gourmet.com, or go online to www.sunrise creativegourmet.com. Sunrise Creative Gourmet (Cont'd. from p. 15) Bongiovi Brand Pasta Sauces Bongiovi brand Marinara Sauce is a tantalizing combination of premium tomatoes, basil, onion and garlic with just the right amount of oregano and parsley sautèed with a splash of burgundy wine. This is an American interpretation of an Italian fa- vorite, for those who appreciate the classics. Bongiovi Brand Garden Style Pasta Sauce is a robust combination of garden fresh vegetables. The fresh basil, garlic, onion, mushrooms and bell peppers add an ex- citing bouquet of flavor to your favorite pasta with just a little kick. Wow, now that's Italian! Bongiovi Brand Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce is for those who like a little spice in their lives. The cool tomato and basil flavors are kicked up with just the perfect amount of a special pepper combination for just the right bite. Bongiovi sales@bongiovibrand.com www.bongiovibrand.com Pici Pasta Imported by Italian Harvest If you've been to Tuscany, Italy, chances are you've enjoyed Pici. Pici, a hard to find pasta, is a true regional specialty of Siena in Tuscany that dates back to the Etruscans. Typically hand made, local producer Pastificio Morelli has created a dried version that is considered one of the best. The bronze die-extruded texture of these durable bundles holds sauce well and presents beautifully on the shelf. Pici expands significantly when cooked, making for a thick, tender pasta with an impressive presen- tation. A versatile pasta made with semolina flour and water, it may be served with a ragu or some- thing traditional, such as pici alle briciole (pici with breadcrumbs) or pici all'aglione (pici with tomatoes and garlic). Aside from Pici, Pastificio Morelli creates pastas made with a blend of semolina flour and wheat germ, giving a unique taste with extra nutritional value. The pastificio also specializes in pastas flavored with peperoncini, truffle, porcini mushroom, garlic, basil, and black nero di seppia. Italy's re- gions reflect their unique character through cuisine. Pici is an important one that defines Tuscany. Italian Harvest www.italianharvest.com Racconto Riserva Sauces are no excep- tion in the family's quest for the finest in- gredients and tantalizing taste. This line of sauce is made from family recipes handed down for generations. San Marzano toma- toes, extra virgin Italian olive oil and Old World seasoning make these sauces truly authentic and best in class. The Racconto Riserva line of all-natural-ingredient sauces includes Classic Marinara, Vodka, Arrabbi- atta and Bolognese. "The Riserva Sauces are so delicious and full of taste, sometimes we will just eat the sauce right out of the jar!" says one Racconto employee. This year, Racconto introduced a new Sriracha Pesto to the market. "We believe food should be creative, and we are always looking for a new twist on meals," says Mugnolo. "Our Sriracha Pesto is an excit- ing new product full of bold, spicy flavors. It brings a delicious new taste to pastas, sal- ads and opens up a whole new world for easy, delicious appetizers." Racconto Sriracha Pesto is full of all-nat- ural goodness and spicy flavors from hot chili peppers, sweet peppers and Italian olive oil. This pesto is a great addition to the Italian pantry, offering endless ways to spice up any dish. A full line of authentic Italian foods, sourced directly by the Mugnolo family for three generations, the Racconto line of products offers high-quality, natural ingre- dients that are big on authentic Italian taste. For today's discriminating consumer looking to create a delicious, authentic food experience, Racconto delivers old world taste to the modern table. For more information on Racconto and its full-line of Italian foods including Bella Terra and Riserva, visit Racconto.com or contact Bill Blakely at bblakely@racconto.com. GN Racconto (Cont'd. from p. 15) brand consumers trust. Presented in attrac- tive upscale packaging, this fresh gluten- free pasta looks great merchandised alongside the Sauces 'n Love line of fresh pasta sauce that already has a devoted con- sumer following. Sauces 'n Love offers a full range of fantas- tic sauces to pair with its gluten-free pastas. Sauces 'n Love Sundried Tomato Pesto, Sugo Rosa, Arrabbiata, Pomodoro Basilico and more make for an exciting and upscale line of pasta sauces that are sold fresh and always delicious. Sauces 'n Love won a sofi Award for the best pasta sauce of 2015 with its in- novative Pumpkin & Kale Alfredo Sauce. By hewing to Italian tradition, selecting the best ingredients, and making customers rave, the Sauces 'n Love line has grown into a national line of gourmet Italian sauces. Winning 17 coveted sofi Awards, the brand has set new standards for quality and flavor by embodying a living Italian tradition of invention, simplicity and flavor. Freshness is still the Sauces 'n Love way, and one can find them in the refrigerated section of fine grocers everywhere. GN Sauces 'n Love (Cont'd. from p. 15)

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